บท 134: Chapter 134: Teaching a Lesson

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As everyone enjoyed their conversation, Jinbe's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang. His previously cheerful expression immediately turned sombre.

He knew that if this Den Den Mushi was ringing, it could only mean that King Neptune was calling, which meant something had gone wrong on Fish-Man Island.

And if King Neptune was calling, it was surely something serious; he wouldn't reach out otherwise.

After finishing the call, Jinbe's face looked extremely grim as he responded, "I'll head back immediately. Please, do not provoke them before I return."

Jinbe's change in demeanour didn't go unnoticed by Whitebeard and the others.

Ace was the first to ask, "Jinbe, is something wrong on Fish-Man Island?"

Over the years, the Whitebeard Pirates had done more than enough for Fish-Man Island, and Jinbe didn't want to bother Whitebeard with every issue.

Besides, the person they were dealing with was a Marine Vice Admiral.

If things weren't handled properly, it could easily lead to a battle between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.

Whitebeard's health had declined over the years, and he couldn't afford to fight as easily as before.

So, Jinbe forced a smile and tried to downplay the situation, saying, "It's nothing serious. I can handle it on my own."

He turned to Whitebeard and said, "Father, I'm sorry, but I must leave now. I promise to drink until I drop at the next banquet."

With that, Jinbe stood up and prepared to leave. Suddenly, Whitebeard called out, "Wait!" Jinbe paused.

Whitebeard continued, "Since you call me 'Father,' that makes you my son, and your business is mine."

"Besides, Fish-Man Island flies my flag; whoever causes trouble there is declaring war on the Whitebeard Pirates."

"So, you don't need to hide anything from me."

Ace grabbed Jinbe's arm and said, "Father's right. What exactly is going on? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Marco smiled, "We're all family. There's nothing we can't talk about."

"Besides, when did the 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe start being so secretive?" Hearing their words, Jinbe was deeply moved.

He then revealed Shyarly's prediction.

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard pondered, "A Marine Vice Admiral shouldn't have the power to destroy Fish-Man Island, right?"

Jinbe shook his head and replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but Shyarly's predictions are never wrong, so I have to get back quickly to prevent anything from happening."

Ace, who strongly bonded with Jinbe, immediately said, "Father, I'll go with Jinbe back to Fishman Island. Even if that Marine Vice Admiral is strong, he won't stand a chance against the two of us."

At this time, Ace had been undergoing intense training under Whitebeard, preparing him to be the future captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.

His strength had increased significantly, making him much stronger than before.

Additionally, Jinbe mentioned that the Marine Vice Admiral was not weak, so this would be a perfect opportunity for Ace to test his training while helping his brother through a tough situation—a win-win.

Jinbe looked at Ace gratefully; Ace's support would make things more secure.

Whitebeard didn't stop Ace, advising them to be careful before allowing the two to leave.

Not long after the two departed, Marco suddenly remembered something and anxiously said to Whitebeard, "Father, I need to go with Ace to Fish-Man Island too."

Whitebeard was surprised and asked, "Why? With Ace and Jinbe's strength, they should be fine as long as they don't encounter an Admiral.

Besides, didn't Neptune say the enemy is a Marine Vice Admiral? This will be a good test for Ace, so you do no need to go."

Marco quickly explained, "I'm just worried that the Marine Vice Admiral might be Byakuya!"

"Byakuya?"

"He's the Marine Rear Admiral who captured Jack, and I've heard he was recently promoted to Vice Admiral." Whitebeard's expression changed slightly.

A Marine who could capture Jack was certainly no weakling, but was it something to be so worried about?

Both Jinbe and Ace could fight Jack without being at a disadvantage.

Seeing Whitebeard's unconcerned expression, Marco nervously added, "A few days ago, I almost got into a fight with Jack over territory.

At that time, I taunted him, saying that one of the Beasts Pirates' top three commanders was beaten by a Marine Rear Admiral—what kind of strength is that?"

"But I didn't expect Jack to not retaliate. Instead, he said I'd probably be defeated if I faced that Marine Rear Admiral."

"At first, I didn't think much of it, figuring that a Marine Rear Admiral couldn't be that powerful, no matter how strong."

"I thought Jack was just trying to save face. But when I connect Jack's words with Shyarly's prediction, I fear this Marine Vice Admiral might have the power to destroy Fish-Man Island."

Marco was one of the sharper minds in the Whitebeard Pirates, often acting as a strategist.

Whitebeard trusted Marco's judgment and immediately recognized the severity of the situation.

"In that case, I'll go with you. I want to see how strong this Marine Vice Admiral is!"

But Marco shook his head and said, "No, Fish-Man Island's location is too sensitive."

"If you go there, the Marines will respond with full force."

"This time, let me go instead. With the three of us, we can handle Byakuya."

Back on Fish-Man Island, Vito and Shyarly breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Crown Prince Fukaboshi arrive.

At such a critical moment, only someone with the Prince's calm and composed nature could handle their tricky situation.

Without saying a word, Fukaboshi immediately ordered his royal guards to surround the agitated Fish-Men, preventing further conflict.

Faced with the strong, well-equipped Mermaid Royal Guards, the Fish-Men quickly lost their earlier bravado.

One of the Fish-Men, indignant, asked, "Fukaboshi, what's the meaning of this?"

"Are you going to oppose us just to side with these lowly Marines? We're the same kind after all," one Fishman taunted.

Another added sarcastically, "Don't bother. We're Fish-Men, and he's a Merman. We're not even the same kind."

"Fukaboshi is the Crown Prince of the Ryugu Kingdom, a member nation of the World Government.

But we're just part of an outlaw group from Fish-Man District. We haven't been the same kind for a long time.

They only look out for the Merfolk now and don't care whether we Fish-Men live or die," another Fish-Man sneered.

Hearing this, Vito was enraged and shouted, "Shut up! If it weren't for King Neptune and Boss Jinbe, you wouldn't even have the chance to spout this nonsense here!"

The Fish-Men, however, dismissed Vito's words with disdain.

They believed that the main reason they could live peacefully in the Fish-Man District was because lowly humans could not eliminate the Fish-Men who lived in the deep sea.

Humans couldn't breathe underwater or survive in the depths of the ocean.

Even the powerful Devil Fruit users were like newborn infants in the ocean, easily crushed with a wrist flick.

Moreover, the Fish-Men's combat abilities underwater were several times greater than on land.

This made the Fish-Men a fully evolved race, while humans were destined to be ruled by them.

This was the prevailing mindset among the Fish-Men in Fish-Man District, not much different from Arlong's beliefs.

Fukaboshi didn't pay any attention to the Fish-Men's idle chatter.

Instead, he walked straight up to Byakuya, bowed respectfully, and said, "Welcome to Fish-Man Island, Vice Admiral. I am Fukaboshi, the Crown Prince of the Ryugu Kingdom."

Byakuya smirked and said, "My name is Byakuya, Vice Admiral of the Marines."

"I only came here to pass through Fish-Man Island on my way to the New World."

"But who would've thought that as a Marine Vice Admiral, I wouldn't even be allowed to enter the gates of Fish-Man Island? This island sure has some nerve!"

Hearing the sarcasm in Byakuya's words, Fukaboshi smiled and thought, "Would it have killed you to just go through Mary Geoise like a normal Marine Vice Admiral?"

"Now you're threatening to destroy Fish-Man Island because we didn't let you pass, and it's as if we've wronged you. How do I even argue with that?"

Of course, he didn't dare say any of this out loud. If he angered the Marine Vice Admiral in front of him, Fish-Man Island might not survive.

Fukaboshi smiled apologetically and said, "The guards at the gate didn't recognize your status as Vice Admiral Byakuya."

"I sincerely apologize for their actions!"

To avoid giving Byakuya any further reason to cause trouble, Fukaboshi quickly added, "My father has prepared a banquet at the palace in your honour upon learning of your arrival."

"I was sent to welcome you personally. Why don't we head there now?"

As he spoke, the Royal Guards of Ryugu Kingdom forcefully pushed aside the Fish-Men, creating a wide path for Byakuya and his crew to pass through.

Byakuya didn't say much, allowing the two tiger sharks that Fukaboshi had dispatched to pull his ship, the Nikko, forward.

Seeing that Byakuya didn't resort to violence, both Fukaboshi and Shyarly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the Fish-Men were furious when they saw the Marines being invited onto Fish-Man Island by the Crown Prince himself.

But just as they entered the gates, Byakuya suddenly commanded coldly, "Fergus, take action!"

Ferguson opened his right hand without hesitation, emitting a blinding light like a spotlight.

Every Fish-Man touched by the light felt like they were in a furnace, their bodies rapidly dehydrating, and they screamed in agony.

Their bodies withered at an alarming rate, turning black like charred wood before crumbling into ashes that disappeared into the air.

Fergus moved with incredible speed. When Fukaboshi and the others realized what was happening, seven or eight Fish-Men had already perished under his light.

Fukaboshi raised his golden trident in anger and shouted, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, what is the meaning of this?"

Byakuya responded calmly, "It means nothing. I just wanted to teach them a lesson. If you lack strength, then don't run your mouth."

"Otherwise, when you provoke someone you can't afford to, death will be your only fate."

Fergus didn't kill all the Fish-Men but selectively targeted the ten who had been the loudest in their insults before stopping.

Faced with the bizarre deaths of their comrades, the remaining Fish-Men were stunned into silence, no longer daring to show any of their previous arrogance.

However, in the back of the group, one Fish-Man's eyes flickered with an idea, and he quietly slipped away unnoticed.

Byakuya turned his gaze toward the furious Fukaboshi and said, "Continue leading the way."

Fukaboshi was so infuriated by Byakuya's sudden slaughter that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he gripped his trident so tightly that it creaked.

But he was powerless to do anything. The deaths of a dozen Fish-Men were still better than the destruction of the entire Fish-Man Island.

Moreover, Byakuya's words weren't without reason.

They explained the reason for killing the Fish-Men and subtly warned Fukaboshi not to act rashly.

Because Fukaboshi was also someone without strength in front of Byakuya.

Seeing the situation, Fukaboshi could only grit his teeth and say, "Onward to Ryugu Palace!" This time, however, Fukaboshi was smarter.

To prevent Byakuya from finding another excuse to attack by claiming that the Fish-Men were insulting him, he ordered the Royal Guards to tightly surround the Nikko, ensuring that no Fish-Man could approach and provoke the Marine Vice Admiral.

Thankfully, the journey to Ryugu Palace was uneventful.

Ryugu Palace, situated at the top of Fish-Man Island, where sunlight could be seen, was a large, luxurious palace built from giant coral reefs, shells, and other materials.

A giant dragon coiled around the palace, which served as the royal residence of the Fish-Man Island rulers.

Inside the palace were giant flounders equipped with large bubbles on their backs, responsible for transporting visiting guests.

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